Liberal, Libertario, Libertino

Duas matérias do New York Times de hoje:

U.S. Calls Radiation ‘Extremely High’ and Urges Deeper Caution in Japan

The chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission gave a significantly bleaker appraisal of the threat posed by Japan’s nuclear crisis than the Japanese government, saying on Wednesday that the damage at one crippled reactor was much more serious than Japanese officials had acknowledged and advising Americans to evacuate a wider area around the plant than the perimeter established by Japan.

Flaws in Japan’s Leadership Deepen Sense of Crisis

Never has postwar Japan needed strong, assertive leadership more — and never has its weak, rudderless system of governing been so clearly exposed or mattered so much.

Japan faces its biggest challenge since World War II, after an earthquake, a tsunami and a deepening nuclear crisis struck in rapid, bewildering succession. The disasters require nationwide mobilization for search, rescue and resettlement, and a scramble for jury-rigged solutions in uncharted nuclear territory, with crises at multiple reactors posing a daunting array of problems. Japan’s leaders need to draw on skills they are woefully untrained for: improvisation; clear, timely and reassuring public communication; and cooperation with multiple powerful bureaucracies.

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Nos breves seis anos em que moro em New Orleans, fui testemunha do Katrina, em 2005, e do derramamento de óleo, em 2010.

No primeiro caso, a total e absoluta corrupção e falta de liderança fizeram com que 3 mil pessoas perdessem a vida em um desastre para qual o estado estava se preparando há cem anos e que nos atingiu com quatro dias de sobreaviso.

No segundo caso, o óleo (fruto de uma indústria sub-fiscalizada por um governo que lava as mãos) jorrou durantes meses sem que se conseguisse sequer tapar o vazamento, devastando o meio ambiente e as indústrias pesqueira e turísticas, essenciais para a região.

Enquanto isso, o povo da Louisiana, lendo o jornal com uma triste sensação de deja-vu, dá risinhos nervosos ao ver o governo americano arrogantemente dando lições de controle de crise aos japoneses.

Macaco não enxerga o próprio rabo.

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Alguns livros sobre Nova Orleans e o furacão Katrina: